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"Welcome to the Halifax Appreciation Society Homepage.

I apologise for not being as prompt with email requests and updating this page. I plan to update the site as often as possible and thank everyone for sending in pictures and information.

If you have any personal enquiries, please email me on the address listed at the bottom of each page.

Thanks for visiting.

The Role of Animals In War

When people think of war, animals don't usuallly come their mind. Usually they are cuddly and cute and we would never think of putting their lives at risk in war. However, animals have played a very important role in wars over the centuries. In this article, we take a closer look at what roles different animals have played in wartime history.

In ancient times, horses played a key role in transporting soldiers and supplies over long distances to help armies conquer distant lands. Their power and speed have made them a perfect tool for victory back then. In World War I, it is estimated that about eight million died in battle. After that, tanks, cars, planes, and trains have pretty much replaced them in war. Elephants have also been long used in war but more for transporting material although some have been used in battle. They are very big and not as fast as the horse so they weren't the first choice for conquering. Pigeons have long been used to send secret messages in war. They were a good choice for communication because they could never speak or double cross and they could never be hacked (figuratively speaking). They always knew how to get to their destination and their way home. Their quickness and reliability helped to spare many lives in the two major world wars. Surprisingly, dogs too are used in wars. They were also used to send messages to soldiers hard to get to and used as guards. Now dogs are trained in modern wars to sniff out bombs or other dangers to soldiers or regular citizens. In the water where dogs can't get to, dolphins as smart as dogs are also being trained to locate explosives before anyone can detonate them by accident. You wouldn't think it, but cats have had their role too in war time. Not only did they provide comfort to soldiers but they also took care of rat problems in trenches. Another animal used in the past century during war was the camel. They can withstand drought conditions and could travel long distances without a lot of water so this made them perfect for carrying needed materials to soldiers. Some animals didn't have to risk their lives to be involved in war. Some like tortoises and baboons served as mascots for different groups of soldiers.

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In honour of those who made the supreme sacrifice and the men and women who served with 462 and 466 RAAF Squadrons of Bomber Command Middle East, Driffield and Leconfield 1942 - 1945

Lest We Forget

"The squadrons thundered off the ground tirelessly. Off they pelted those glorious, radiant boys. We were with them in sound and spirit but that feeling of lead in the stomach when they failed to return was all to familiar. There were so many, and all of them so young, and such a wicked, wicked waste. I mourned them then, now and forever..."

To view one of the following pages, please click on the corresponding button or link.

To see some photos from ANZAC Day in Driffield, please

Thanks to MRS Eileen Slater, we are able to bring you a page honouring her brother, WOFF A.J. Pratt's War, please

Glenn Chapman has supplied some great photos, dedicated to his grand-father Douglas Birrell. to view.

CREW DEDICATIONS

To view a page dedicated to Crew 180, .

For a page with operational photos from Crew 146, please .

For a page dedicated to Crew 145, please .

A page dedicated to Crew 103 thanks to Mr Greg Cameron. Please to visit the page.

Recently this page was approached by the RCAF Memorial Museum Expansion Fund Raising Campaign. The museum has to expand to enable the soon to be completed Halifax to be stored there. By clicking on the banner below you have the opportunity to save the artefacts in the museum and Canadian Aviation Heritage. Please help support this worthwhile cause. Thanks.

Thanks for visiting the Halifax Appreciation Society Homepage. Please visit the Award Page to see the awards this site has been presented with. We would like to thank everyone who has visited the page over the past six years and making the Halifax Appreciation Society Homepage one of the top pages on this subject. If you have any comments please do not hesitate to contact me via the email address at the bottom of this page. Thanks.

Links to Halifax Related Sites

Halifax Restoration Team

Handley Page 57 (HALIFAX) Rescue

Yorkshire Air Museum

William Sloan Memorial Page.

424 Squadron RCAF Page.

Dedication to Crew 100 & Halifax LV827

Links to Aviation related sites

DirectoryScience

World War 2 Ex RAF

Halifax Bomber Productions at Park Royal Coachworks

The Canadian Aviation Historical Society

A Memorial To Those That Served.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Yorkshire Airfields.

Pacific Aircraft Models.

Links to other sites

John Van Uitregt's Homepage.

The Airmen's Prayer. Written by Flight Lieutenant E. B. Impey, RAAF.

"My God, this night I have to fly and ere I leave the ground. I come with reverence to Thy throne where perfect peace is found. I thank Thee for the life I've had, for home and all its love. I thank Thee for the faith I have that cometh from above. Come with me now into the air, be with me as I fly. Guide Thou each move that I shall make way up there in the sky. And should it be my time to die, be with me to the end. Help me to die a Christian's death, on Thee, God, I depend. Then as I leave this mortal frame, from human ties set free. Receive my soul, O God of love, I humbly come to Thee."

One night this airmen met his maker but left this poem to his friends. Since then many pilots have drawn courage from it.

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